1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of collapsible structures, and more specifically, to a collapsible and modular structure that may be used for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a number of contraptions for providing temporary shelter during hunting and fishing trips or other outdoor excursions, as well as during times of emergency or housing shortages. Most of these shelters are in the form of tents or blinds that are un-insulated, unheated, and not modular (i.e., they cannot be expanded upon). Collapsible structures exist, but not all of them are portable, some require machinery to assemble, and others have joint systems that are overly complicated, expensive to manufacture and/or unable to withstand repeated exposure to harsh outdoor weather conditions.
The present invention is intended to replace the typical collapsible and mostly flimsy camping tent with a rigid and sturdy outdoor structure for the outdoor enthusiast who desires a feasible alternative to the too-often cramped and less-than-comfortable confines of a tent. The present invention allows for storage of gear without taking up valuable space. It also provides a relatively cool environment in the summer and a relatively warm environment in the winter because it incorporates insulation and can accommodate a heater. Because the present invention is insulated, it also filters out unwanted noise from the outside environment.
Because of its modular structure, the present invention allows multiple individuals or groups to each have their own room, which provides greater privacy than is afforded with a typical tent. Another advantage of the present invention is that people may stand upright inside of the structure, which makes it feel more like a house than a tent and makes it more habitable for prolonged periods. Lastly, the present invention provides much greater protection from the elements than a standard tent. Examples of prior art structures are described below, but none of these inventions incorporates the structural features and functional advantages of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,100,273 (Wiard, 1914) covers a collapsible room in which each end wall is made of two members hinged to one another by hinges so that they fold inwardly upon one another. The end members are hinged at their outer edges to the side walls by hinges that permit the end members to fold outwardly. The hinges shown in the drawings are typical metal hardware butt hinges. The room is not designed to be insulated, nor is it closed to the outside environment. In fact, the room is specifically designed to allow fresh air to penetrate into the interior through the underside of the roof. See col. 2, lines 83-87 (“A very important feature of my invention resides in the fact that the cover frame overhangs the chamber on all sides, so that fresh air can enter within, and escape from below, the cover.”). This invention was intended to serve as an outdoor sleeping chamber in relatively mild climates.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,129 (Bigelow, 1962) discloses a portable building with a relatively complex joinder system. The invention includes a floor comprised of two outer, tray-like sections that form a container for carrying the structure when it is disassembled. To erect the building, the tray-like sections of the floor are placed on the ground with their tops down and their bottoms elevated above the ground so that the side walls may be positioned with the lower edges of the lower wall sections seated along the side margins of the floor. To secure the walls to the floor, hooks are pivotally secured to the lower margins of the walls and engage with bolts that extend through the sides of the tray-like sections and upon which wing nuts are situated. The side walls are secured together at the corners of the structure by corner posts comprised of an upright strip with longitudinally extending “V” notches positioned for engagement with the vertical edges of two of the walls at a corner. A bolt extends through aligned openings in the corner posts and the inside corner strip to hold the corner post and strip in alignment. The roof is comprised of a flexible material such as canvas.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,092 (Johnson et al., 1970) involves an integrated folding slab construction unit for forming permanent building structures. The roof assembly is formed in a horizontal mold, and the walls panels are connected to the roof assembly by ductile structural members embedded in both the ceiling and wall panels. These ductile hinges are comprised of a reinforcing rod or re-bar made of mild structural steel. When the ceiling panel is lifted, the wall panels fall into a vertical position with their upper edges underlying the bottom edges of the ceiling panel. Bonding plates are mounted on abutting edges of adjacent panels to provide structural integrity. Bendable moisture-sealing flanges are used to provide positive moisture sealing after the panels have been moved to their relative angular relationship in the completed structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,653 (Napier et al., 1988) provides a collapsible structure that is also modular. The structure comprises a steel-framed base formed of two parallel C beams held together by a number of C beam cross members with uprights at each of its four corners. Each upright is a square tube welded to the base. Upon erection, the walls are locked into place with pins that extend through holes in the uprights. The walls also pivot on additional pins in the uprights when they are raised from the flat transport position to the erect position. The walls are preferably comprised of metal clad polystyrene panels, and the roof is a metal clad polystyrene panel that is hinged to the top of one of the side walls with metal hinges. The base is designed to allow the entire structure to be carried by a forklift. To form a modular structure, the bases of two individual structures are placed adjacent to one another, the adjacent walls are eliminated, and the roofs are joined.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,379 (Suzuki, 1991) describes a folding house with a folding roof, folding side walls and folding floor. Each of these components comprises metallic butt hinges that allow the components to fold along their center lines. Two of the wall panels are fixed, two of the wall panels are moveable, and all of the wall panels have bracing members. The fixed wall panels are connected to the roof panel and to the floor with butt hinges. To erect the house, the structure is pulled upward by a crane via cables that extend through fittings on the top side of the roof, causing the roof to open due to the upward pull and the floor panel to open by its own weight. Next, the folded movable wall panels are opened by hand and fixed in place with locking bolts. Two folding houses may be connected side by side, or alternately, one house may be stacked on top of another as a second floor. Waterproofing is provided by using waterproof sealant on the butt hinges.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,944 (Roelofsz, 1995) shows a collapsible enclosure with base elements of progressively increased heights, each base element having a wall hinged thereto. The base elements differ in height from each other in accordance with the thickness of the walls. The walls are pivotally attached to the base elements with, recessed metal hinges. Once the walls are raised, they are secured in an upright position by lowering downwardly-oriented pins on the roof element into a channeled or square tubular frame in the top edges of the walls. Two or more units may be joined to form a larger enclosure, in which case one or more of the walls would be omitted.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,498 (Fanucci, 2001) covers a modular building system comprising various panels that fold for shipping. The floor is connected to the side wall by a hinge that is located in one embodiment at some distance from the intersection of the floor and side wall and in another embodiment at the intersection of the floor and side wall. A gasket connects multiple floor panels to each other. Center jacks are used to increase the rigidity and load capacity of the floor. Panel sets of linked side wall and roof panels are unfolded, and the left and right roof panels are joined (preferably with a gasket) to form the peak of the structure. Where the panels fold against each other, hinges or other joining means are employed. The structure itself contains no end walls; instead, the side wall of a shipping container is used as the end wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,280 (Marcinkowski et al., 2005) discloses a portable enclosure with a floor that is hingedly connected to an interconnecting panel. The walls of the structure are secured to the floor from by extending upward from within a recessed channel in the outer perimeter of the floor panel(s). Each wall panel has an annular shaped projection along one of its side edges, and a corresponding annual shaped recess extends along another side edge. The wall panels are connected to each other by placing the annular shaped projection of one wall panel into the annular shaped recess of an adjacent wall panel. The end walls are hinged and triangular-shaped. The roof is constructed of a first rigid panel and a second interconnecting rigid panel that is secured to the upper perimeter of the interconnected walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,968,653 (Stapleton, Jr. el al., 2005) involves a folding modular structure comprising a top panel, two side panels, a front and a rear panel. Spacer panels are interposed between three of the four total side, front and rear panels and provide clearance so that each of the panels can be folded onto the other already folded panels. The panels themselves do not fold, however. The side spacer panels are perpendicular to the sides of the top panel and are pivotally connected to the side panels. To install the structure, a crane, large forklift or other lifting mechanism lifts the entire structure (preferably by the corners of the top panel) so that the panels unfold into an open position.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2006/0260215 (Jankovskis et al.) provides a temporary shelter for disaster victims and comprises two side walls, two end walls, a roof and a floor. The two end walls are connected to the floor such that they fold upward from the floor to form the end walls. This part (the floor and end walls) is constructed of a double-skinned polyethylene or other plastic material that has cross ribs extending internally between the two skins (the commercial name of this material is TWINPLAST™). One of the skins of this material is cut or scored to allow the part to fold, thereby creating a hinge out of the second skin. A second part, made of the same material as the first part, forms the roof and side walls and also has a floor. The material is similarly scored and folded to form the roof, side walls and floor. An overlapping roof part is connected to one of the side walls with rivets, adhesive or welding. The two floor parts are connected by fasteners, adhesive and/or welding.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2008/0034676 (Ahmad) describes a folding house in which all four walls fold inward onto the floor. The walls themselves are not foldable, however, and the side walls are connected to the front and rear walls with a slip-on bracket. Simple door hinges connect the walls to the floor. The roof is fitted on top of the four walls and tethered to the floor with metallic rods that have fitted ends at the floor and ceiling. A waterproofing guard is fitted on top of the roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,562,508 (Dickinson et al.) shows a shelter comprised of a roof, floor and plurality of side walls in, which at least one of the floor, roof and side walls has both an exterior panel and an interior panel. An attachment device secured to the exterior and interior panels allows the panels to move between collapsed and expanded positions in which the exterior and interior panels are parallel to one another. The attachment device comprises a first plate coupled to the exterior panel, a second plate coupled to the interior panel, and a third plate pinned to the first and second plates, respectively, for relative rotation between the third plate and the first plate about a first axis of rotation and relative rotation between the third plate and the second plate about a second axis of rotation. The third plate pivots between a position in which it is oblique to the first and second plates (when the exterior and interior panels are in a collapsed position) and a position in which it is perpendicular to the first and second plates (when the exterior and interior panels are in an expanded position). In the expanded position, filler material is injected into the cavity between the exterior and interior panels. Connectors secure one set of panels to another to form the shelter.